It’s the final stretch for men’s college basketball as the regular season ends in 10 days. Bubble Watch is heating up as select teams find themselves in the first four in or first four out. According to ESPN’s Bracketology expert Joe Lunardi, the North Carolina Tar Heels are among the first four teams out of the NCAA Tournament.
ESPN Has North Carolina Among First Four Out
It’s been a rocky season for North Carolina. Last season, the eighth-seeded Tar Heels fell just short of winning the National Championship, losing to the Kansas Jayhawks 72-69 in the finals.
To start the 2022-2023 season, the Tar Heels were ranked No. 1 in the nation as the team returned four starters from the previous season. Guard RJ Davis, guard Caleb Love, forward Leaky Black, and forward Armando Bacot came back to North Carolina to win a National Championship.
This season has not gone according to plan for the Tar Heels. As of February 23, the Tar Heels are unranked at 17-11 and considered one of the first four teams out of the NCAA Tournament.
The last ESPN bracketology update came on February 21, before North Carolina defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 63-59. However, that win will not dramatically improve their resume since Notre Dame came into the game with a 10-17 record.
North Carolina Must Win At Least Three Games To Save Season
Before the Notre Dame game, ESPN believed that the Tar Heels would need to win at least three games or face a scenario where they would need to win the ACC Tournament to secure the automatic qualifier.
Beating Notre Dame was the first win, and now North Carolina will need to win two of its next three games to improve its position. Those games include home against the Virginia Cavaliers, away at the Florida State Seminoles, and home against the Duke Blue Devils.
The Tar Heels should beat Florida State, but defeating either Virginia or Duke will be challenging, especially since North Carolina is 0-9 in Quad 1 games.
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